tattered 1 of 2

adjective

ˈta-tərd How to pronounce tattered (audio)
Definition of tatterednext
1
as in ragged
wearing torn or worn-out clothes arrived at the shelter tattered and exhausted

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in faded
worn or torn into or as if into rags a hobo in tattered old clothes and worn-out shoes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

tattered

2 of 2

verb

past tense of tatter
as in ripped
to cause (something) to separate into jagged pieces by violently pulling at it the little boy tattered that blanket beyond repair by repeatedly yanking on it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tattered
Adjective
On a recent afternoon, the lanky, mustachioed Zucker, wearing a T-shirt, ballcap and small hoop earrings, bears little resemblance to his comic alter ego who sports a tattered suit with gag props stuffed in every pocket. — Deputy Entertainment, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026 For weeks, migrants in the Spanish territory of Ceuta had gathered on a beach away from the city center, sleeping on cardboard sheets, under reed huts and guarding their few possessions in tattered plastic bags. — ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026 The ferocious character also features shaggy black-and-orange hair that matches his tattered pants, and a large necklace adorned with teeth. — Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 30 July 2026 The trailer finds the film’s protagonists alternately hunting or fleeing the vicious creature — or creatures — through a tattered town known as Hope Harbor, a remote coastal village near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in South Korea. — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 9 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for tattered
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tattered
  1. ragged
  2. faded
  3. ripped
  4. frayed
  5. tore
  6. shredded
Adjective
  • On his second lap at Monza, Antonelli went past the ragged edge.
    — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026
  • While a commercial transatlantic flight would have left me feeling tired and ragged, my body barely registered the six-hour journey.
    — Debra Kamin, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of ragged
Adjective
  • Investigators described him as a white male in his late 50s, with a scruffy, gray beard who was wearing a faded blue baseball cap.
    — Dan Raby, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The landscape flowed in ridges and mountains of faded yellow and whisper pink, where welwitschia–large, low-lying plants that live to be hundreds of years old–sprawled like relics from a Dune film set.
    — Samantha Falewée, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of faded
Verb
  • But after Vucic conceded defeat Sunday evening, ecstatic young revelers filled the streets of Belgrade and ripped down the cordons around the encampment known as Caciland.
    — JOVANA GEC, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
  • But just two minutes later, LAFC’s Armindo Sieb ripped a shot off a counterattack and Bouanga chipped home the rebound for his 18th goal in 30 MLS matches this season.
    — Greg Beacham, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of ripped
Adjective
  • Steven Huefner, deputy director of the Election Law Program at Ohio State University, says poll chaplains might be able to calm the frayed nerves of a voting public that is constantly exposed to divisive rhetoric and news about political violence.
    — Deepa Bharath, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
  • While Abrams and Brolin were able to bring the emotional gravitas to flashback scenes chronicling key moments in their frayed relationship, shooting the in-whale scenes was the overarching creative challenge.
    — William Earl, Variety, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of frayed
Verb
  • After the Norte fire tore through 570 acres across south Orange County, destroying many homes, everybody needed this.
    — Caleb Otte, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Haliburton tore his Achilles during Game 7 of the NBA Finals against Oklahoma City in June 2025 and missed the entire 2025-26 season.
    — Peter Finney Jr, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of tore
Verb
  • The corpse’s fingernails were bloody and the inside of the coffin was shredded from Mary’s trying to scratch her way out.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026
  • This was the same unit that had been shredded by Missouri and embarrassed by South Carolina.
    — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of shredded

Browse Nearby Words

tatterdemalion
tattered
tattering
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Cite this Entry

“Tattered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tattered. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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